Road-bridge.



No. 725,695. PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

' H. FRIEND.

ROAD BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED P33. 3, 1902.

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Im/Em m1; flowawb: Friend/- No. 725,695. 1 v v PATENTED APR. 21, 1908;.

' H. FRIEND.

ROAD BRIDGE.

APPLIOATIPN IILED FEB. 3, 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SEIEBTS-SHBET 2- Wftfl E5 5 E5; Inventur- W you/11 Friend/ PATENTED APR. 21-, 1903.

H. FRIEND.

. ROAD BRIDGE.

APPLIOATIOK FILED FEB. 3, 1902.

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I'm/Enron Y 'Howarg 'frzend UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD FRIEND, OF LEXINGTON, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

ROAD-BRIDG E.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,695, dated April'21, 1903.

Application filed February 3, 1902. Serial No. 92,485. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD FRIEND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county jofOklahoma and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Bridge, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed.

Thisinvention'relates to the class of bridges in which the roadway or floor portion is suspended from main cables at either side thereof, said cables being passed over and supported by columns at the ends of the span.

The object of the invention is to produce a bridge of this class which shall be cheap and simple, yet light and strong. In carrying out the objects of the invention I employ, as far as possible, staple classes of material-such as bar-iron, wire, and metal tubing, together with a few parts of cast metaland construct an parts-so that no screw-thread cutting and but little machinework other than common bolts is required in making them. The landward spans, not uncommon, are employed in addition to the main span, and an intermediate portion or portions of said spans are suspended from the main cable in the same manner as the main span. 7

Referring to the drawings, in all of which like characters of reference designate like parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bridge. Fig. 2 shows the anchorage for the ends of the main cable. Fig. 3 is an under side view of the bridge. Fig. 4 isa-transverse section of Fig. 1, taken on the line A A. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line B B, Fig. 1, Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, being on the same scale. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are enlarged views, partly in section, of portions of Fig. 4 from bottom to top thereof. Fig. 10 is an under side view of the base of one of the landward-span columns. is a horizontal section through Fig. 7 on the line E E. Fig. 12 is a vertical section taken on the line F F,'Fig. 9. Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are views, partly in section, of Fig. 5 from bottom to top thereof. Fig. 18 is a horizontal section taken on the line G G, Fig. 14. Fig-19 is a view of Fig. 16 on the lineH H. Figs. 20, 21, and 22 will be referred to later,

Fig. 11,

Figs. 6m 22, inclusive, being on the same scale. A

The columns 1, supporting the main cable 2, are each composed of four hollow metal tubes 1 bound together by belts 3, and are provided with foot-plates 4, resting upon and bolted to a sill 5 and having projecting cores 4 fitting within the separate tubes of the column. The two columns at each end of the bridge are connected together by the sill 5, by the two tubular cross-rods 6, by a channel-iron cross-beam 7, and by a tubular crossrod 8 at their upper ends. The cross-rods 6 are fitted tightly over projecting cores 3 on the belts 3, and the cross-rod 8 fits tightly over a like core 9 on the cable-saddle 9, said saddl'e' having cores 9 fitting within the separate tubes of the column. Each of the cores 3 and 9 has laterally-projecting spurs 3, and strands of wire extend inside the cross-rods and loop around said spurs, connecting the cores in one end of the rods with the cores in the other end, said strands of wire being twist- 7 ed together into a taut cable 10 by revolving one of the cores relative to the other. The cross-beam 7 is supported at each of its ends by a two-part belt 11, inside of-which one of the tubes is cut in two, and a double core 12, having an intermediate flange12", fits into the contiguo us ends of said tube, as shown in Fig. 19. The flange 12 of this core 12 lies within a groove therefor in the belt, and thus supports the same. When the tubes composing the columns are of such length as to require splicing, the splice is made within one of the belts 3 in the same manner as in the belt 11, care being taken that only one of said tubes is so spliced in a single belt. To prevent lateral swinging ofeach end pair of columns, strands of wire loop around each column j ust below the lower belts 3, pass across and" up to the upper belts of the opposite columns, loop around said columns just above said belts, and are twisted into a taut cable 13, as shown only in Fig. 5. The outer ends of the land- IOO plates and the caps 16, which are provided for these columns, have each projecting coresfitting into the separate tubes of said columns, and said caps have upwardly projecting flanges 16*, between which an I-shaped crossbeam 17 lies and is secured by the bolts 18.

Said cap 16 and foot-plate 15 are secured in place by strands of wire which loop around. a pin 19, lying within a flat-bottomed circular beams 23 for supporting the floor-joist are suspended from the main cable 2 at even height with the cross-beams 7 and 17 aforesaid. At the center of the main span the main cable 2 passes under two of the crossbeams 23, but at all other points wire cables 24 are employed to suspend said cross-beams from said cable. Diagonal brace-cables 25 are also used, attaching the cross-beams 23 to two other points each on the main cable, thus more evenly distributing the load or weight of the floor portion over the structure.

The main cable 2 is composed of a number of strands of wire, not twisted together, but wrapped and bound together into a compact body by a strand of wire 2, as shown in Fig. 22. The cables 24 and 25 are composed of a number of strands of wire, which pass over the main cable 2 and under the ends of the cross-beams 23 and are twisted intoa taut cable from their central points. One or more of the strands 2 in the upperpart ot the main cable 2 after passing under the cables 24 and 25 are drawn back tightly over the said cables and extended inside the wrappingstrand 2 entirely back to the anchorage of the cable. The ends of the cross-beams 23 are provided with saddle-blocks 26, having recesses or seats 26, through which the cables pass, said blocks straddling the stem portions 23 of the said beams and bolted thereto, as shown in Fig. 20. The'saddle-blocks of the two center cross-beams ot' the bridge diifer from the others in that they are braced from each other by tubular rods 27, which fit tightly over projecting cores on said saddleblocks and are designed to prevent said blocks moving toward each other from the action of a brace-cable to be referred to later.

The floor-joists 28 rest upon the cross-beams 7, 17, and 23 and support the floor 29.

A rail 30 of suitable height is provided at each side of the bridge and is bolted to iron posts 31 of T-shaped cross-section, which are secured to the ends of the cross-beams by bolts passing through the web or stem portions of said beams, the upper flanges of said cross-beams being cutaway to admit said posts,

To prevent lateral swinging of the main span, cables 32 are looped over upwardlyprojecting grooved studs 11", formed in the projecting separable ends of the belts 11, pass diagonally across under the cross-beams to the opposite side of the bridge, through the saddles of the two center cross-beams 23, thence diagonally across back to the belt 11 at the opposite end of the span,wh'e re it loops over a like stud 11.: .These cables 32, like other cables used, are formed of single strands of wire twisted into a taut cable after being put in place.

The foregoing being a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, what I claim,

and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, columns comprising a plurality of tubes bound together, cross-beams secn red to said columns and supporting portions of the floor, said cross-beams resting upon belts encircling the columns, one of the tubes of the columns being spliced within each of the said belts by a double core, said core having a projecting flange extending beyond the edges of the tube and lying within a groove therefor in the belt to support said belt, substantially as described.

2. In a bridge of the class described, columnscom prising a plurality of tubes bound together, a cable-saddle mounted upon each of the columns and supporting the main cables, said saddle having projecting cores fitting within the separate tubes of the columns, a belt encircling each column and supporting the floor portion at said columns, one of the tubes of the columns being spliced within each of the belts by a double core fitting within the contiguous ends of the tube, said tube having a projecting flange extending beyond the edges of the tube and lying within a groove therefor in the belt to support said belt, substantially as described.

3. In a bridge of the class described, 001- umns comprising a plurality of tubes grouped together and adapted to support the main cables, main cables supported by said columns and composed of a number of strands of wire, cables suspending the floor portion from said main cables,said suspendingcables looping around said main cable, one or more of the upper strands of the main cable being drawn back up over the suspending-cables and extended back along said main cable to the main-cable anchorage to prevent the suspending-cables from slipping downward, substantially as described.

4. In a bridge of the class described, 001- umns comprisinga plurality of tubes grouped together, said columns supporting the main cables, said cables being composed of a num ber of strands of wire wrapped and bound together by a strand or strands of wire, wire cables suspending the floor portion from said main cables, said suspending-cables being composed of a number of strands of wire passing over the said main cable and formed into a cable by twisting them together, one or more of the upper strands of the main cables being turned and drawn back tightly over the said suspending-cables and extended inside the wrapping-strand entirely to the maincable anchorage, substantially as described.

5. In a bridge of the class described, columns comprising a plurality of tubes grouped together, said columns supporting the main cables, cross-beams connecting the columns at each end of the bridge together, said crossbeams resting upon belts encircling the columns, one of the tubes of each column being spliced within its belt by a double core fitting into the contiguous ends of said tube, said core having an intermediate projecting flange extending-beyond the edges of the tube and lying within a groove therefor in the belt, a floor or roadway portion resting upon the cross-beams of the columns and having intermediate cross-beams suspendedfrom the main'cables, substantially as described.

6. In a bridge of the class described, columns comprising a plurality of tubes grouped together, a main cable supported upon the tops of said columns at each side of the bridge, said cables being anchored at their ends, cross-beams connecting the columns at each end of the span, said cross-beams supporting the ends of the floor portion and resting upon a belt encircling each column, one of the tubes of each column being spliced within itsbelt by a double core fitting within the contiguous ends of said tube, said core having an intermediate projecting flange extending beyond the edges of the tube and lying within I by a strand of wire, one or more of the upper strands of said cable being turned back over the cables supporting the cross-beams and extended inside the wrapping-strand back to the main-cable anchorage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two subscrib- HOWARD FRIEND.

Witnesses:

FRANK N. MANN, W. M. HUNT.

lug witnesses, this 30th day of January, 

